There's a push-pull battle between technological solutions causing paradigm shift, and bureaucratic/legal entities attempting to steer or counter that shift.
I'm currently re-reading Snow Crash (appropriately, on my PDA). Some ofit is rather dated, but one of the parts that seems positively prescient is L. Bob Rife's laughing at government regulation, "Y'know, watching government regulators trying to keep up with the world is my favorite sport. Remember when they busted up Ma Bell? ... Government busted them up -- at the same time when I was starting cable TV franchises in thirty states. Haw! Can you believe that? It's like if they figured out a way to regulate horses at the same time the model T and the airplane were being introduced."
presses are no longer needed
I don't think that's Cory's point, particularly. Information mediums do not, in fact, become extinct, as any SCAdian should be well aware. They *do* tend to move from the mainstream to smaller niche markets over time, but they never quite vanish.
they should find another line of work
Maybe not "find another line of work", but at least "update your business model". Small presses could offer their work for sale in digital format, at a small enough price point that the quality/convenience factor overcomes the freeness of 'pirated' editions.
Ethical people will generally pay what they feel to be a fair price for goods received. Unethical people weren't going to give you any money anyways.
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Re: Sue your fans
Date: 2004-09-09 04:31 pm (UTC)I'm currently re-reading Snow Crash (appropriately, on my PDA). Some ofit is rather dated, but one of the parts that seems positively prescient is L. Bob Rife's laughing at government regulation, "Y'know, watching government regulators trying to keep up with the world is my favorite sport. Remember when they busted up Ma Bell? ... Government busted them up -- at the same time when I was starting cable TV franchises in thirty states. Haw! Can you believe that? It's like if they figured out a way to regulate horses at the same time the model T and the airplane were being introduced."
presses are no longer needed
I don't think that's Cory's point, particularly. Information mediums do not, in fact, become extinct, as any SCAdian should be well aware. They *do* tend to move from the mainstream to smaller niche markets over time, but they never quite vanish.
they should find another line of work
Maybe not "find another line of work", but at least "update your business model". Small presses could offer their work for sale in digital format, at a small enough price point that the quality/convenience factor overcomes the freeness of 'pirated' editions.
Ethical people will generally pay what they feel to be a fair price for goods received. Unethical people weren't going to give you any money anyways.